Since the dawn of the 21st century, movies based on Marvel Comics properties have become commonplace on the silver screen. In most of them, there’s been at least one common string, a cameo from renowned comic book creator, Stan Lee.
But who is Stan Lee? You may know him as an originator and the king of cameos, but do you know these facts about the man behind characters such as The Incredible Hulk, the Amazing Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four? Stan Lee, the legend who made our childhood comical, passed away yesterday (November 12) at the age of 95 and the world mourns.
Stan Lee’s life was always an open book. The legend was not only an American comic-book writer, but also an editor, publisher, media producer, television host, actor, and former president and chairman of Marvel Comics.
Here are things you didn’t know about Stan Lee.
# Born With A Different Forename
Stan Lee was born on December 28, 1922, as Stanley Martin Lieber. The son of Romanian-born Jewish parents, Lee was always a keen writer and was heavily predisposed by the adventures of Errol Flynn playing heroic roles in movies.
When Lee was in school he worked various part-time jobs, but he was determined to be a qualified writer and took every chance to put pen to paper. As he dreamed of one day writing the ‘Great American Novel’ he chose to save his real name for that and adopted the pen-name ‘Stan Lee’ to use in the meantime.
# Young Age, Great Accomplishment
With the help and support of his uncle Robbie Solomon, Lee became an assistant at the Timely Comics division of Pulp Magazine. Timely Comics would later become Marvel Comics. His initial duties were banal.
His comic book debut would come in 1941, writing some text filler for Captain America Comics #3. It was here that he used the name Stan Lee for the first time. When Simon and his creative partner Jack Kirby left, the 30-year-old publisher installed Lee, just under 19 years old, as interim editor, having been impressed with the youngster’s writing talents on Captain America and other titles.
# Served In The Martial
Stan Lee entered the United States Army in early 1942 and served the US in the Signal Corps. He would later be transferred to the training film department where he wrote training manuals, slogans, and occasionally indulged in cartooning. His military classification at this time was that of ‘Playwright,’ a classification given to only nine men in the service at the time.
# Almost To Relinquish Comic World
Stan Lee nearly quit the comic world when he was asked to use simpler words during a time when comics were seen as childish.
His characters, unlike the traditional heroes, argued amongst themselves. They had real-world problems that readers of all ages could relate to. Initially hesitant, having expected something closer to the Justice League of America (with its ideal archetypes), the publishers gave him their full support when the series became a financial success. Teams such as the Avengers and X-Men followed soon after, both following the pattern of having individuals with egos and issues, and being less than perfect.
# He Pioneered The Marvel Method
Lee’s upheaval in the ‘60s didn’t just change the stories presented in comics, it changed the ways in which comics were written. He introduced the ‘Marvel Method’ of writing. This new method made the writer and artist collaborate in new ways and produced some of the most successful runs of all time.
# He’s Been In More Movies Than Most Movie Stars
He had a special clause added to his contract: he specified that he must appear in any movie based on one of his characters. This has made him the king of cameos, with eagle-eyed fans looking out for him in the backgrounds of movies such as X-Men (2000) and The Avengers (2012). In fact, he’s appeared in most of the Marvel movies (even those produced by Fox and Sony) of the recent era.
# He Had A TV Show
The show, Stan Lee’s Superhumans ran between 2010 and 2014 on History and were hosted by Stan Lee and followed contortionist Daniel Browning Smith as he travelled the world searching for real-life superhumans – people with exceptional physical or mental traits.
# He Wrote A Memoirs In Vivid Novel Form
Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir is a full-colour graphic memoir illustrated by celebrated artist Colleen Doran. In it, Stan Lee tells the story of his life with the same unmatched wit, energy and offbeat spirit that he brought to the world of comics. He tells of his early life as an insolent child, growing up in New York right through to the modern era.
For decades now, Stan Lee has been a staple of comic books, TV and movies. The man himself has never lost his wit, charm, or sense of wonder. It’s these things that continue to earn him legions of fans the world over.
R.I.P Legend!
